


A Tale of Two Princes

by lonelynat



Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood and Gore, Dragons, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Friends to Lovers, Gay, High Fantasy, Kidnapping, Knights - Freeform, LGBTQ Themes, Lesbian, M/M, Magic, Medieval ish Setting, Minor Character Death, Multi, Original Character(s), Tags May Change, Torture, Violence, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:22:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25842028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonelynat/pseuds/lonelynat
Summary: Two warring kingdoms, two princes whose lives have been turned upside down. While one has been kidnapped, the other has been exiled. They meet by chance and despite their differences and every reason they should hate each other, they decide to work together instead. They travel far and wide with one goal, to get the kidnapped prince home. But with their alliance based on half truths and white lies, everything threatens to fall apart long before they get the chance to finish what they started.





	1. Untruths and Beginnings - Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything seriously for years except for a coming of age lesbian spy thing that I'm writing alongside this so I'm open to constructive criticism on my writing.  
> This also hasn't been thoroughly checked for grammar, punctuation, spelling mistakes so if you find any let me know.

The day was hot and unending. Or at least, it seemed to be to Kocius. He was traveling through a thick forest and the air was humid, sweat dripping from his face with no regard for the small scratches he'd gotten climbing through the thick underbrush.

On a scorching summer day three weeks ago, he had been exiled from his home and kingdom, forbidden from returning and threatened with being killed on sight if he were to be found within the kingdom a week from the day of banishment. So, he was traveling through what used to be his kingdom as fast as he could go, keeping his face hidden and head low. Nobody had recognized him so far, however this was purely due to the fact that some of the only people who would be able to recognize him as the former prince would be the very people who had kicked him out in the first place.

Kocius wiped some sweat from his brow and pulled his sword from its sheath with his right hand. He was left handed, but since his left arm had been broken the day he was banished and was currently restricted to the makeshift sling he’d made himself, he had no choice but to practice with his right _just in case_ he happened upon someone who would recognize him. He had trained his whole life with both hands in everything possible, but he favored his left hand over his right, so though he wasn’t exactly helpless, he needed to train so his skills would be close to the standards he set for himself.

He took a deep breath and despite the heat, started practicing his swings and blocks against an imaginary opponent. He only got so far before he stopped, having finally reached a part of the path he was familiar with.

Though Kocius had been traveling for weeks, trying to get to the border of the kingdom and into the unclaimed magical lands between this kingdom and the Dragon Court, he had been spending some nights and days at rarely used houses owned by his family that were scattered across the land and used as both vacation houses and safe places to stay in the event of some sort of attack on the royal family. He himself had stayed at the house he was nearing several times as a child.

Blurry memories filled his mind, but he didn’t have time to dwell on them. He continued along the path and sheathed his sword. As he walked, he took in the greenery and wiped sweat from his forehead. He rounded a bend in a particularly dense part of the forest and the house finally came into view.

This particular safe house was located near a small river and surrounded by the forest. It was conveniently isolated, though there was a town about half a day’s walk down the path. It was the exact type of place Kocius needed for a slightly longer rest and to get the chance to practice with his sword and tend to his arm. This wasn’t the last house on his path to the border, but it was the one he would be spending the most time at due to its convenient placing and the fact that his family hadn’t used it in several years as far as he was aware.

He continued along the path and walked past the large barn where the horses used to be kept. It still smelled strongly of horses, but Kocius did his best to ignore it. He made his way to the steps leading up to the doors and tried to open it. He didn’t expect the knob to budge as the houses were always locked up after any visits, but when it did, he cursed quietly. That likely meant the house had been broken into and he wouldn’t be finding any supplies here. Only one other safe house he’d been to had been broken into and ransacked, but there was virtually nothing left in it save for the furniture.

He opened the door, expecting a mess of broken glass and toppled chairs, but found a perfectly maintained interior instead. The entrance hall was large and several pairs of boots lined the wall adjacent to the door. Past the interior was a large room with a table for food and tea, as well as seating for a whole family. The table was filled with enough food for a small army and Kocius froze, realizing that the house hadn’t been broken into. It was being used.

He quickly closed the door and in his rush, he accidentally slammed it. A few voices sounded out from upstairs and Kocius quickly reached for the handle of his sword.

“Commander Olek is that you?”

Every hair on Kocius’ head stood on end. He recognized that voice and he recognized that name.

The people staying here were an elite group of knights that his mother sent on royal errands that were to be kept secret. Commander Olek was the leader of the group and had once upon a time trained him in sword fighting. The one talking was his second hand woman. A skilled woman who would take Olek’s place if anything were to happen to him. Lieutenant Zakho. She and the others would recognize Kocius in a heartbeat if they saw or heard him.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs and Kocius gripped his sword tighter. He inched silently towards the doorway that led to the stairs and unsheathed his sword slowly. He could run, but if this place was swarming with his mother’s knights, one of them was bound to see him as he fled.

He was sure by now they’d heard the news that he was banished, as they were always up to date on the latest royal drama, as they referred to it. Though they’d watched and helped him grow up, they wouldn’t hold back with him. His mother’s knights were called such because they were loyal to her and solely her. Nobody else in the royal family had any say over what they said or did.

And as it was his mother that gave the decree that he should be killed on sight if he wasn’t out of the kingdom within the next week, they would not hesitate to carry out her orders.

“The captive has yet to be transferred into the new traveling cell,” Lieutenant Zakho called, continuing down the steps, “We were waiting for you to return so you could assist us. He isn’t currently putting up a fight, but his old one is _this_ close to break-”

Her talking ceased as she rounded the corner to turn into the hall and found Kocius’ blade through her stomach.

Kocius gripped the handle of the sword tighter and twisted it, feeling his body tremble.

Lieutenant Zakho coughed out blood and made a gargled sound, eyes wide and pained as she met his gaze. She made an attempt to say his name, but her body went limp before she could manage.

Kocius quickly pulled his sword out and sheathed it, faintly thinking of what a pain it would be to clean later. His main focus was on taking on the weight of the Lieutenant as she slumped forward against him, though. He grabbed around her arm with his right arm and knelt, carefully laying her on the ground. Blood seeped through her clothes and onto him and the floor. He made no effort to try and stop it, instead standing and listening carefully for anyone else in the house. He heard some faint footsteps upstairs and peeked through the doorway Lieutenant Zakho had come from.

The stairs were bare, so he carefully snuck up, pulling his sword from its sheath again and avoiding the steps that he knew squeaked. At the top of the stairs he stopped and saw that in the hall that led to the bedrooms were two knights standing close to each other muttering who knows what. When the one facing Kocius’ direction spotted him, though, all hell broke loose.

“Intruder!” he shouted, pulling his own sword out and pushing past the other to charge at the prince. Kocius’ instincts kicked in and before he knew it, swords were clashing and the other knight was shouting at the top of her lungs.

“It’s Kocius!”

Kocius kept his right arm forward and protected his broken arm as his sword clashed with the knight’s. Every move the knight made, he blocked and hit back with double the amount of force. The knight had years of training, but Kocius knew he was fighting for his life and that was enough to give him the adrenaline boost he needed to overpower the other man. Not to mention every move that was thrown at him was one he’d practiced himself. The knight was trained by the same man that had trained Kocius, so in his mind it was like sparring during sword training but with a much more severe punishment if he lost.

The fight didn’t last long. In fact it was so short, the other knight barely got the chance to approach before her friend was on the ground with a cut far too deep to recover from across his neck. She didn’t mourn his inevitable death, instead glaring fiercely at Kocius and letting out a yell as she dove at him. She was wielding two swords, one in each hand. Kocius also dove, but to the side. He dodged her attacks and blocked what he could, but immediately knew this was a battle he couldn’t win unless he gained some sort of advantage. He bolted into one of the bedrooms in the hopes he could use the obstacles in it to his advantage and kick her out a window somehow.

As he entered the room, though, he realized he should have given Lieutenant Zakho’s words more thought before jumping headfirst into this situation. She had said something about a prisoner and a traveling cell, but he hadn’t thought it would be anything like what he was staring at. A metal box large enough to hold three men, with tiny air holes dotting two of the box’s sides, was taking up most of the free space in the room, the furniture that belonged in the room sitting untouched in their normal positions.

Kocius barely had time to take in what that could mean before the knight came running after him. He dove behind the metal box and heard the horrible clang and screech of metal against metal. He tightened his grip on his sword and quickly thought of a plan, though it was one that was very risky in a number of ways.

He peeked around the metal box and then promptly ducked back down as a sword came slicing at his head. It once again screeched as the sword hit and scraped against the worn metal that made up the cell. He jumped out and swung his sword at the knight, barely blocking her as she swung with her second sword. He held the block and twisted his sword to protect himself as she pulled back her arm and swung with her first sword again. The blade of the second sword slid against his and struck the metal box while he jerked back and let her swing at him again.

With the only place Kocius could go being around the box, dodging all the attacks he could while barely blocking the ones he couldn’t, the knight struck the metal of the box several times. With his careful maneuvering, she hit it in more than a few weak points the already half destroyed box had and when the prince saw that all it needed was one precise final blow, he dove around the knight and as she turned, he barely managed to kick her to the floor without getting a spontaneous leg amputation.

As she went sprawling, he turned to the metal box and with a swift kick and jab of his sword at one of the hinges keeping the sides of the box together, it fell apart, all of the metal pieces that had been holding it together scattering across the floor and it’s walls collapsing dramatically outward and lifting up the dust in the room.

Kocius barely dodged the door as it fell towards him, but quickly backed into a wall and readied his sword against whoever was being held prisoner by his mother’s knights, coughing as he inhaled the dust.

From the dust rose a dark skinned and curly haired man. He was tall and muscular, and seemed to be wearing expensive clothes, but they had long since been torn and dirtied by both blood and dirt. He staggered once he was upright, but then let out a threatening growl. Through the dusty haze, Kocius could barely make out fierce looking eyes with slit pupils.

Kocius couldn’t look away from the man, and lucky for him, the man didn’t seem to notice him at first. The knight was coughing and cursing frantically from where she’d landed on the floor and the fall had made her release one of her swords. She held the sole attention of the man and to the surprise of Kocius, he lunged for the knight and through the thinning cloud of dust, he watched as the man swiped at her neck with his hand and her body went limp without a sound.

He collapsed over her immediately after and coughed once, twice before falling silent.

The front door slammed shut below and Kocius heard the shouts of another three knights at least, likely having found their Lieutenant in the entrance hall. He pushed away from the wall and spoke quietly.

“They’ll come up here soon. Grab her swords and fight with me. It’s our only chance.”

He left no room for arguments with his tone. With his dominant hand injured and the sorry state the dark haired man was in, Kocius hoped he would realize that and not turn against him. He also hoped the man hadn’t just lost consciousness.

Footsteps pounded on the stairs and with another shout as they reached the hall on the second floor, more quickly followed. Kocius readied his sword and turned to the door, momentarily stiffening as the man slowly stood up and got into position beside him, his hands outstretched in a defensive manner. Kocius didn’t turn, refusing to look away from the door until the knights passed through it. From the corner of his eye though, he could tell something was odd about the man’s arms. They weren’t covered in normal skin, and since he was able to kill the knight with just a swipe of his hand, Kocius suspected there was more to this man than he had initially thought.

He didn’t have time to dwell on it any longer though, as the door burst open and what followed was a blur of shouting, swords clashing against each other and a lot of blood. Four knights entered the room then, but only Kocius and the mysterious prisoner left it. Kocius would have counted the bodies if he needed to, but he’d been keeping track. Only three knights were left, including the commander.

He motioned with his sword for the man to follow and with the prince leading the way, they went down the stairs, passing the Lieutenant on the way to the door. Kocius leaned against the wall adjacent to the door, keeping his sword in his hand and listening carefully for the approach of those left. The former prisoner took the spot across from him and they finally got the chance to get a closer look at each other.

With the lack of dust clouding his vision and no current distractions or threats, Kocius finally noticed the dull horns protruding from the man’s head, as well as his pointed ears and the small wings that were barely visible from the angle he was seeing the man from.

_A prisoner of war._

The thought flashed through his mind immediately when he realized this man must be from the Dragon Court. The man noticed Kocius eyeing his horns and wings and let out a low growl. A threat.

“Second guessing your request for my help?” he said, his voice low and his accent one Kocius had never had the pleasure of hearing up until now.

The stunned prince quickly shook his head and averted his gaze, but the skin on the man’s arm caught his eye. Iridescent scales sparsely covered his forearm and part of his upper arm. They were a brilliant gold and shined red where the light hit them. He looked up again and found the man glaring at him now.

“You try anything and I will not hesitate to snap your other arm in half and leave you in the hands of whoever these skamelar’s are,” he promised with a soft growl.

Despite himself, Kocius felt amused. “I’m sure you would. But they want to kill me about as much as they want to keep you, I assume. So would it not be best if we leave the threats for once we’re done?” he said, careful to keep his tone even.

The man seemed to think it over, then nodded.

“Fair enough,” he mumbled, then turned his attention to the door.

Despite the obvious want for silence, Kocius couldn’t help himself from speaking once more, his voice quiet. Gentle, even.

“Do you have a name?”

The dragon was silent for a moment, but he did respond.

“Neldret,” he huffed, then added on hastily. “You?”

Kocius mouthed the foreign name to himself before replying. “I am Kocius,” he said, quickly amending, “But please, call me whatever you’d like.”

Though his name was well known throughout the castle, he was virtually unknown outside of it. Despite that, Kocius felt it was better to err on the side of caution and encourage his new ally to call him something that wasn’t his true name.

Neldret repeated his name as if he was learning how to speak for the first time. He paused partway through and finished slowly, hesitantly. “Ko.. cius… And your second name?”

Kocius quickly met Neldret’s gaze, taking a moment to understand the question as it was phrased somewhat oddly. Second name?

“Palentine. It’s Palentine.” he said realizing what Neldret meant and trying to not let his amusement show through his voice. He recalled a lesson he’d had when he was a child about the ways dragons named their young. They didn’t have second names, just first names and titles that followed after, which explained why Neldret had referred to his last name in such a way.

“Kocius Palentine.. I shall call you KP then,” Neldret said firmly, this time saying Kocius’ name delicately, with respect. Kocius looked towards the door as he didn’t know what else to do and he certainly didn’t want to stare again. There was a short silence in which he was highly aware of Neldret staring at him, waiting for some form of approval on the nickname.

“Very well,” he blurted shortly, having felt a heat crawling up his neck and wanting the dragon’s eyes to be anywhere but on him.

Neldret seemed satisfied and looked to the door as well, waiting for whatever was coming next.

The pair waited in silence for only a few moments before the sound of horses trotting through the forest reached their ears. A few voices sounded out as they approached the house and Kocius recognized the distinct, authoritative voice of the commander.

Kocius changed his grip on his sword and shifted so his broken arm would be farther from the door. Neldret pushed away from the wall as well and stood in a defensive position, his arms out in the same way he’d had them out upstairs upstairs.

Kocius spared a quick glance at him and saw a fierce, angry expression on his face. He must have allowed his eyes to linger for too long, because the dragon’s eyes met his and they stared at each other for a brief moment before the door started to open, catching them both off guard.

There was a split second of silence that seemed to pass oh so slowly before Kocius finally struck with his sword, but the knight who had opened the door was given far too much time to react and he blocked the strike with easy. Smarter than his friends upstairs, he brought the fight where the only help Kocius and his new ally would get would be from the trees. There were no obstacles in the open space in front of the house as it was supposed to allow for carriages to pass through. If these opponents were too strong for the pair, there’d be no outsmarting them here.

As Kocius made a short attempt to follow, he quickly realized his mistake. He should have retreated into the house, used their lack of information on the state of their friends to his advantage. But it was too late now. With the blood on his shirt and the silence of the house behind him, he had lost his only upper hand.

Except he hadn’t.

Neldret came out alongside him and the shock his presence gave the knight Kocius was facing off with was enough to give him a deadly advantage. His blade struck the knight’s arm and just as quick as it hit, Kocius pulled it back and swung again. The blood that came gushing out of the next hit blinded him and he stumbled back, eyes squeezed shut.

He frantically backpedaled and wiped at his eyes. He didn’t know where the commander and the other knight were, but he heard Neldret growl fiercely ahead of him and what followed the growl was a burst of cold air and a short yell. Then, silence.

By the time Kocius could see again, the dragon was kneeling in front of him, offering him a hand to help him up. His eyes were cold and his expression was dark.

Kocius accepted the help after sheathing his sword, however he was caught completely off guard by Neldret collapsing as soon as they were both upright, much like he had upstairs once he had struck down the knight with two swords. The prince was unable to catch the dragon from falling to the ground and so he carefully tried to wake him, but saw that Neldret was out cold.

And so, Kocius got to work moving the bodies into the barn on his own.


	2. Untruths and Beginnings - Part 2

**Chapter 2**

**Untruths and Beginnings - Part 2**

Neldret couldn’t remember the last time they’d fed him. The days were long and hot and though he got the occasional sip of water through the tiny latch on the metal door, they hadn’t given him even the smallest scrap of food in weeks. Though he didn’t know that for sure. He’d been drifting in and out of sleep in between trying his best to wear down the metal cage he was trapped in, though he had mostly given up on that due to a severe lack of energy.

When they had first captured him, he was transformed and thought it was a part of his training until he’d seen who exactly it was that had captured him. He had quickly transformed back into his human-like form and fit through the bars of the cage, then tried to transform back and fly home, but they had caught him again and cast a spell together to keep him subdued until they were able to get a cage easier to keep him confined in.

When that cage was acquired some days later, they were tired from the overuse of their weak magic and Neldret was able to break free again when the one who was supposed to watch him one night fell asleep. Unfortunately for him, he was so disoriented from being kept unconscious and hadn’t been given food or water for long enough that it was having a serious effect on him, and so he ungracefully made an attempt to transform once free of the cage and with two wings that were too large for his small human form, he fell and knocked a tree over onto their temporary camp when his wings slammed into it.

Needless to say, they awoke and promptly subdued him again.

They got an even more secure cage a few days later and this one, Neldret could not escape from despite his best efforts. He kicked and scratched and used every ounce of energy he had to use his magic against the door, but his efforts were in vain. And with it being the middle of summer, the dark metal the box was made of coupled with virtually no airflow had transformed the box into what was basically an oven.

The violent efforts to escape eventually died down after some time and as Neldret lost track of the days, all he could do was sit as still as possible in the center of the box and hope a breeze would push through the tiny air holes on the sides of the box and save him from a horrible death.

After another blur of days and nights, Neldret was able to memorize the names and voices of those holding him captive. The man in charge, Barnoh, was the one who was giving him the occasional sip of water. Each of them occasionally referred to each other by a different name, but for the one in charge, only Olek was ever used when calling him. The one ranking below him, Zakho, sometimes called him Barnoh behind his back. Neldret assumed it was as a form of disrespect, but he didn’t have the energy to analyze the interpersonal relationships and social interactions of his captors, even if it could benefit him in the long run.

By the time Neldret realized they were sneaking him away to their kingdom, it was far too late to do anything about it. The travel through the unclaimed lands of the magical forest was surprisingly uneventful, as Neldret had heard stories of the various settlements and even towns that were bustling with all sorts of magical creatures he had never had the luxury of seeing in person. He doubted he would get to now, as it seemed he was going to be a permanent prisoner to the Ami.

As they passed the border into the Kogomian Empire, Neldret couldn’t help but think bitterly about all the things he would never get to do now. He was sure these would be his last days alive and conscious. He had heard from his teacher of the horrible methods the Ami used to torture prisoners of war since he was a young child. He had never feared the Ami, though. Even now, he didn’t. He was unsure if he would change his mind once he experienced their torture for himself, but for now all he felt towards the Ami was anger and hatred. For invading his land. For taking him from his home. For thinking they could do all this without repercussions.

He wanted to yell and kick at his cage, this damned metal box, but he had no energy left. He was drained and overheating and starving. Sure that the next time he regained consciousness he would be underground in some dungeon, Neldret submitted to the voice in the back of his mind and let sleep take him.

When he woke, he was surprised at the change in temperature. The metal surrounding him was warm to the touch, but inside the box was considerably cooler and he immediately knew he had been moved indoors.

He shifted and pressed his forehead against the metal, looking through one of the small holes on the sides of the box.

Neldret realized he was not only indoors, but in a bedroom. He couldn’t see much, but within his sight was a bed and a window with a clear view of the forest that was surrounding the house. He wondered briefly how they had managed to squeeze the large box he was in through any doorways, but quickly pushed the thought out of his mind. It didn’t matter anyway. All that mattered was the next time he would be receiving water.

And as luck would have it, the door to the room squeaked and footsteps sounded out as someone entered.

“Away from the slot,” the deep voice of Olek commanded harshly. Neldret shifted against the back of the box and glared fiercely at the slot as it slid open and the spout of a jug appeared pressed against it. It started tilting down and Neldret hurried to catch the water in his hands, cupping them and drinking every last drop. Dehydrated as he was, he refused to act in a disgraceful manner.

The water stopped far too soon for his liking and despite himself he heard a soft whine escape his throat. He quickly silenced himself, but it was clear Olek had heard.

A mocking scoff rang through the room and Neldret wished for the millionth time since he’d been taken prisoner for Olek to drop dead.

“If you’re having a hard time now, wait until you meet my superior, Prince Neldret,” Olek sneered before slamming the slot shut and leaving the room.

The sound of the door closing never came and after only a few moments, the smell of food made its way to Neldret’s nose.

He took a deep breath and pressed his forehead to the metal again, this time to the other side of the box. He couldn’t see any food, but whatever it was, it smelled delicious and it smelled  _ close _ .

Quiet footsteps approached the room and Neldret quickly pressed against the back of the box again, hoping it wasn’t Barnoh again. The slot opened and a slice of bread with some sort of meat on it waited on the other side.

Neldret quickly snatched it before whoever was on the other side could even think of pulling it away, but then took his time eating around the edges of the bread and chewing his way to the center. The bread was warm and the meat was soft and for a blissful minute, Neldret forgot everything. But once the food was gone he was still stuck in a metal box and the slot had been closed again. He listened to try and see if whoever had given him the food was still around, but he heard nothing.

Instead of keeping an ear out as he probably should have if he wanted any chance of escape, Neldret decided to accept the silent  _ whatever that was _ , and promptly shut his eyes. If he was going to stay a prisoner, it did barely lift his hopes to know someone was looking out for him. He wouldn’t question the kindness, though he did wonder if it even was that in the first place. Regardless, he quickly gave in to sleep once more.

When Neldret woke again, it was to the horrible sound of screeching metal bouncing around his box and hitting his ears. He was immediately on alert, but it was hard to shake the fuzziness surrounding his thoughts when he could feel just how empty his stomach was.

Hurried and heavy footsteps surrounded the box and he winced at the sound of metal against metal as what he assumed was some sort of weapon crashed against the box again. He peered through one of the holes and saw two figures quickly dance by, swords clanging and flying through the air in a rush. One a man, one a woman. The figure of the man was unfamiliar, but Neldret wasn’t sure if that was his tired brain refusing to function or if this man had really just burst in and began fighting his captors.

Infighting seemed more likely than a random Ami fighting to free him, especially with the consideration of Zakho’s assumed disrespect of Olek, but Neldret couldn’t come up with a reason they would be fighting in the room he was being kept in unless the fight somehow had to do with him.

He quickly shifted to peek through a different hole as the two danced around his box. The screeching of metal against metal nearly made Neldret disregard the fight entirely in favor of curling around his head to stop it from hurting his ears, but he had the feeling that this fight was more than a simple fight for power so he couldn’t just stop paying attention to it.

As luck would have it, the man Neldret couldn’t identify managed to kick the other guard and she fell, going sliding across the floor. Neldret knew her as one of the guards who often mocked the position he was in, waving food by the slot he got water through. Her weapon of choice was actually two weapons. A pair of swords she often cleaned and clearly cared for a lot. Neldret had wished more than once that he could snap one of them in half in front of her.

He was startled out of his thoughts with a loud thud and clang, jerking to his feet and quickly getting dizzy at the sudden movement. To his surprise, the entire cage fell apart before him. All the sides fell outward, the top part falling with the side opposite to the door. It all made far too much noise for his liking, but with the sudden freedom he’d been presented with, he did the only thing he could think to do and went in for the kill on the guard the man had sent sprawling. His instincts kicked in before he could properly assess the situation and before Neldret even blinked, the woman was bleeding and his hand was covered in blood.

The dizziness got immensely worse and he collapsed on top of her, squeezing his eyes shut. The dust that was picked up from the cage falling apart went in as he took a deep breath and he coughed once, then again. He hoped to the high heavens that the man wouldn’t kill him now. They were on the same side, right? Both of them against the Ami guards.

A door slammed below and Neldret distinctly heard the voices of some of the others who had been holding him captive. He took another moment to collect himself and to let the dizziness fade, knowing a fight was coming whether the man he didn’t recognize decided to spare him or not.

“They’ll come up here soon. Grab her swords and fight with me. It’s our only chance.”

Neldret opened his eyes at the sound of the man’s voice. It was rough and quiet, not to mention slightly commanding. So he didn’t want to fight Neldret, then. Good.

He tilted his head a bit and watched as the other man shifted into position with his sword, facing the door. Ready to fight. One of his arms was in a sling though, Neldret finally noticed. It had been hard to see through the tiny holes of the metal box, but now that he could see the man in full, he didn’t really seem the type that would have been able to take down the dual wielding Ami.

Neldret stood and shifted weakly into position beside him regardless. He either got lucky and would most certainly need Neldret’s help with the others, or he was highly skilled and had already taken down several of the others on his own. Neldret was hoping for the latter.

When the other Ami finally came up to the room and attacked, Neldret’s head was clear and though he was still dizzy - likely from being dehydrated - the small bit of food he’d been given before served to boost his energy and he was able to take down all who entered with the help of his new ally.

Together, with the Ami leading the way, the two hurried down the stairs and Neldret let the other man take the lead, tucking his wings close to his body when he mimicked the other’s pose as they settled across from each other by the door. Presumably to wait for the rest of the Ami guards to return in order to ambush them.

Neldret felt the man eyeing his horns and looked him straight in the eyes, feeling a growl rise in his throat.

“Second guessing your request for my help?” he asked, sure that must be what the man was thinking with that look he had on his face. It was twisted into something halfway between shock and regret. Neldret knew he had to stop whatever plan the Ami might be concocting immediately.

“You try anything and I will not hesitate to snap your other arm in half and leave you in the hands of whoever these skamelar’s are,” he promised, hands tightening into fists. The man seemed amused instead of threatened, which Neldret found both infuriating and confusing. He was a dragon, a royal one too, yet here was this random Ami laughing at his threat.

“I’m sure you would. But they want to kill me about as much as they want to keep you, I assume. So would it not be best if we leave the threats for once we’re done?” the man said, the slightest hint of a smile on his lips. Neldret tore his eyes away from the man’s face, trying to keep himself from bursting with every horrible word he knew, fully aware it would do no good to start this fight right now.

He carefully considered the words of the Ami and spoke after a long moment.

“Fair enough,” he grumbled, then turned his attention to the door, listening carefully for anything that would indicate the others were back. His concentration was quickly interrupted by the man’s voice, though. This time, his tone was… softer.

“Do you have a name?” he asked.

Neldret briefly considered lying, but this man couldn’t possibly have any way of knowing that Neldret was the single heir to the Zakierian throne. The kingdom of dragons, or as the Ami so insolently called it, the dragon court. His identity was a well kept secret, though perhaps not anymore considering he’d been kidnapped.

“Neldret,” he huffed, trying to sound aloof, as if his name wasn’t important. He quietly hoped that the Ami weren’t blatantly advertising his kidnapping and that this man wouldn’t recognize him. “You?” he asked, realizing he shouldn’t go without knowing this stranger’s name as well.

He looked to the man and saw him silently mouth the name to himself, as if he was trying to mimic the way Neldret had said it. The prince felt himself respect the man just that much more as he observed the act. This Ami seemed to be different from the others, and not only because he had released Neldret from his prison and was fighting his own kind for whatever reason. It was that in addition to those things, he seemed to respect Neldret in some way. The Ami had a long history of blatantly rejecting all dragon customs and bastardizing all forms of magic they were capable of learning, but this one seemed to want to get Neldret’s name right. Even if Neldret didn’t exactly trust him, this odd ally-ship was something he appreciated. Or perhaps he was simply too starved and dehydrated to think straight.

“I am Kocius,” the man said, quickly adding on, “But please, call me whatever you’d like.”

Neldret took a moment to process the odd name as he was much too used to the typical names of his fellow dragons. The only Ami names he knew were those of his captors and the ones who’d done horrible things during and before the war.

“Ko… cius…” he attempted, hoping he wouldn’t offend the man with the bad pronunciation. “And your second name?”

The man seemed confused for a moment, turning to look Neldret in the eyes. His expression quickly shifted into something amused again, but he managed to keep his voice steady this time.

“Palentine. It’s Palentine.” he said, the somewhat soft tone making a return.

Neldret thought for a moment, wondering the best way to address him without having to constantly mispronounce his name. He nodded as he finally settled on the simplest option.

“Kocius Palentine.. I shall call you KP then,” Neldret spoke firmly, doing his best to pronounce Kocius’ name correctly and saying it with a respectful tone to try and show that if Kocious was respectful towards him, he would act the same way in return. He kept his gaze on Kocius, waiting to see if he approved.

Kocius seemed uncomfortable with the attention though and simply blurted, “Very well.”

Neldret shrugged off the odd reaction and focused once again on the door. Before long, the distant sound of horse hooves thudding reached his ears. He pushed away from the wall in preparation for the fight, feeling all the anger and frustration from the past few weeks resurface, but felt Kocius watching him. He shifted his gaze and found himself staring straight into Kocius’ eyes. He was slightly taken aback by how intently the Ami was staring at him, but didn’t get to take in his expression because just then, the door opened.

They were both caught off guard, but Kocius reacted quickly. Neldret watched as his sword was suddenly out the door and before he knew it, Kocius had followed after. The sound of swords clanging rang through the air, and Neldret hurried to peek out without giving himself away yet. He waited until Kocius accidentally cornered himself and then backed into a wall with blood on his eyes. He waited until the other two Ami went in for the kill, then burst out with all the energy he could muster and struck them both with a bit of magic.

They both went down without any trouble and Neldret stumbled over to Kocius to help him up, but was unsure if he’d be able to do so without falling unconscious first. The energy he expended using magic was energy he really didn’t have.

The answer to his question was yes. He was able to help Kocius up without the world fading into black, however, as soon as Kocius was on his feet Neldret felt the familiar tug of rest push him into oblivion.

When he woke, he was resting on something soft and the sweet smell of food was nearly overwhelming.

He managed to get his eyes open, but couldn’t sit up just yet.

There were quiet sounds nearby, someone occasionally moving around. He couldn’t determine exactly what they were doing, but it was clear he wasn’t a prisoner anymore at least. Content with everything, Neldret closed his eyes once more and let himself lay peacefully for what must have been at least an hour. The sounds eventually stopped, but Neldret wasn’t able to sleep again. Not with the delicious smells all around and his stomach emptier than it had ever felt before.

He struggled to sit up, but managed it well enough after a few minutes. He found a fancy metal tray resting beside the soft rug he’d been left on and it was filled to the brim with bread, meat, and some things he didn’t recognize. He nearly inhaled it all, but despite everything, he was still a prince and he wouldn’t behave in any way that could be seen as disgraceful, so he took his time with every last crumb.

When the food was all gone, he felt ill, but so very happy and full. And with the distraction of food gone, he finally took in his surroundings. He was still in the house he was being kept prisoner in, as he could see the door and the stairs with a pool of blood at the base of the stairs from where he was. He turned the other way and found tables and tables of food. His mouth watered, but his stomach warned him of eating too much too fast, so he tore his eyes away from the tables lining the wall and found Kocius sitting against the wall by one of them. His head was resting against one of the legs and his eyes were closed.

Neldret took a slow breath and closed his eyes, focusing his hearing on Kocius. The Ami’s breath was slow and even. He was asleep. Neldret relaxed somewhat with this knowledge, but then figured even if the Ami was awake, if he’d taken the care to drag Neldret into this room and serve him food then he probably didn’t have ill intentions at all so there was no need to be on edge.

Unless.

Unless this was all an elaborate trap to get Neldret to trust Kocius so he would reveal things about the Kogomian Empire to the Ami and then later it would all fall-

Neldret shook his head of these thoughts and opened his eyes, staring hard at the sleeping Ami. These were ridiculous notions, but Neldret wouldn't put it past the Ami to do something so drastic and complicated. The guards were all clearly well trained and to waste the lives of people who were clearly skilled seemed a bit much, even for people who are always overcomplicating their plots and schemes. Not to mention the whole thing would have to depend on Neldret choosing to trust the Ami with the injured arm after the battle and not immediately turn on him or abandon him.

Neldret sighed and closed his eyes again, too tired to want to go over every look, every word the Ami had said to try and analyze them all and see if he could really trust the Ami or not. He was thirsty, thin, and weak. He needed time to recover before he could deal with all this, however when and where he could recover would entirely depend on whether he would choose to trust KP or not. It was an exhausting decision, but one that had to be made quickly.

The prince took a deep breath and chose trust, though it was a very thin sliver of it. He would barely trust KP during his recovery, and if KP chose to leave during it for whatever reason of his own or otherwise, Neldret would make a run for it and find somewhere else to stay and finish healing in case the Ami was going to try and turn Neldret in. If KP chose not to stay, then he would leave regardless for the same reasons. If KP chose to stay the full length of Neldret’s recovery then Neldret decided he would have to keep a careful eye on him the whole time and not reveal anything more about himself than would could already be inferred from his current situation.

KP shifted a bit in his sleep and Neldret stiffened initially, but then relaxed. He watched the Ami for a few more moments before finally standing, as wobbly as his legs felt, and trudging around the room in search of a pitcher of water. He finally found one with some beautiful ceramic cups next to it and had not one, not two, but three cup-fulls. One after the other. He was already so full, but he was unimaginably thirsty and couldn’t help himself. Once he had his fill of water, he sat back down on the rug he’d been laid on and took a moment to examine the room before laying down again and taking his time relaxing and coming to terms with what could possibly be his new normal for some weeks.

A dragon prince and his Ami ally in a house in the woods at the edge of the Kogomian Empire.

Neldret fell asleep with these thoughts weighing heavily on his shoulders.


End file.
